The Blueway - Start Your Own Business Programme

Venue:

Online interactive workshop delivered via Zoom

Date:

04/02/2021

Note:

Thursday 4th February 2021 - Thursday 25th March 2021

Time:

7pm-9.30pm

Category:

Start Your Own Business

This programme aims to enable participants to acquire the skills, knowledge and confidence to develop their Blueway Waterway business idea, complete their business plan and start up their business. Programme delivered through a series of online interactive workshops. For Kildare businesses only.

This event is no longer available

Start Your Own Business - The Blueway Programme

Following plans to upgrade the Barrow Canal towpath 46km Blueway as a major economic boom for the communities in counties Laois and Kildare, Kildare Local Enterprise Office are providing the Start Your Own Business on the Blueway programme to potential new businesses in the tourism, recreation and hospitality sectors.

Course Objectives

This programme aims to enable participants to acquire the skills, knowledge and confidence to develop their Blueway Waterway business idea, complete their business plan and start up their business.

The programme covers all aspects relevant to starting a business with topics ranging from self-assessment, turning business idea into a profitable venture, sales planning, accounts, taxation, employees, legal structure and websites/social media.

Participants will have been introduced to the most up to date methods of how to research and assess new business ideas, in a speedy and most cost-effective manner.

Know where to source and apply for funding. Know which of the vehicles of business formation suits you and be aware of the red tape involved in setting up a business, including health and safety and insurance implications.

Course Content

What is the Blueway

This topic aims to give participants an overview of the Blueway, the investments, grants and the opportunities for new and existing businesses such as leisure and sporting activities, boat hire, bike hire, fine dining, gift shops, events, historical houses, tours, nature trails, creating tourist attractions, researching and presenting history to a new audience and much more. It will also examine the Waterford Greenway success story.

Tourism and the Waterways

This topic aims to give you an understanding of what services and facilities attract customers to Waterways. Also we look at secondary businesses and secondary services. You will get to learn about the personal experiences of individuals who have created a waterway business lifestyle successfully

Personal Assessment / Start Your Own Business / Developing Your Idea

Topic aim is to introduce participants to the concept of entrepreneurship and what it means to be a business owner. The downs and ups and how to deal with both.

Introduction to Taxation for micro enterprises The Topic aim is to dispel the notion that taxation is a major barrier to being in business, the topic introduces the relevant taxes to the participants and asks them to reflect on the size of their business and for which taxes they will have to account for. The session introduces the self-assessment taxation system and the responsibilities to the revenue of the self-employed.

Introduction to Legal Formalities to Start Your Business

Topic aim is to show participants the formal vehicles to use to conduct business, particularly the new companies acts and legislation and in particular working seasonal employees in the tourism industry, contracts etc.

Preparing a Business Plan

This Topic aims to introduce the reasons for and benefits of planning, as well as the methods of creating a realistic plan and how to use it as a tool for creating and managing success.

Market Research

This Topic prepares the ground for the marketing plan topic and demonstrates how to research the local tourism market and create new markets to ensure the success of the prospect, create a value proposition (USP) as well as a profitable price.

Effective Marketing for Your Business

The aim of this topic is to give a solid professional grounding in the principles of marketing leading up to developing a marketing plan. There is a particular emphasis on creating new markets and linking with existing tourist accommodation providers and services to promote complimentary tourism products and services.

Income tax & VAT for the Micro Business

This topic ties back to the introduction topic and reinforces the information given and reminds of the obligations for income taxes as well as describing the factors effecting decisions regarding VAT and accounting for both

Introduction to Small Business Finance

This topic is designed to demystify finance and accounting figures and jargon so that participants are not baffled by accounting terms and principles. The topic looks at simple feedback controls for their specific businesses so that they can simply monitor their performance.

Funding Sources for Your Business

This topic explores the various funding options available to micro businesses considering their stage of development and the pros and cons of the various sources of funding. It focuses on the available sources of equity and debt funding for Irish SMEs and outlines the necessary steps to ensure that an SME is successful in raising third-party funding.